Brazilian school victimized by shooting holds vigil to express solidarity for Newtown school

RIO DE JANEIRO – Parents and students at a Brazilian school where a shooting killed 12 students nearly two years ago have held a vigil to express solidarity for the people of Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed 20 children and six school employees last week.

The families gathered in the Rio de Janeiro state town of Realengo on Friday holding posters calling for peace. Several cried during the vigil.

The Tasso da Silveira school in Realengo was targeted by a shooting spree in April 2011. Mothers of students there say they organized Friday's public act of sympathy for the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown because they got letters and support from people in the United States when Realengo's school was attacked.